Water is a precious resource that should be conserved. Residential and commercial use of potable water is ever increasing. Some have estimated that the average U.S. citizen uses about 100 gallons of water a day, and municipalities are having an increasingly difficult time meeting these needs. In drought stricken regions, water restrictions are becoming a more common occurrence. Water needs to be conserved and, wherever possible, recycled. Everyone can contribute to this effort.
A significant amount of water is wasted when people turn on the hot water faucet at a sink or tub and let the initial flow of “cold” water run and drain as they wait for the hot water to arrive. People typically do this, for example, when taking a shower or bath, washing their hands or face, shaving, and so forth. A variety of factors can contribute to this wastefulness, such as the type of hot water system, age of the house, insulation on water pipes, presence of a hot water recirculation pump in the water system, and so forth. A person may waste up to 3 gallons of water waiting for bath or shower water to reach a desired temperature, and up to 0.5 gallons per sink event, such as washing their face or hands. This is a significant amount of wasted water.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method that limits the amount of water wasted in a residential or commercial environment while waiting for the water to heat to a desired temperature. The present invention addresses this need.